Chance at a Dream
by Stor-E-Phool
Summary: Smithy, everyone knows, is unsupportive of Jane's decision to become a knight. Why? Only a select few knew. But when a chance to have their situations switched arises... will Smithy have the guts to betray Jane to achieve his dream of becoming a knight?
1. Chapter 1

**_Smithy and Jane_**

**_By Stor-E-Phool_**

_**A/N: Man! I'm popping out Smithy and Jane stories like a kid with bubbles! :) This one, I hope, has Smithy a little more in character than HDAHA! :) :)**_

**_Well, toodles! Gimme critique and tell me what needs to improve! btw: Jane isn't mine, Smithy isn't mine, and no one else is mine._**

Flying backwards through the air with blood spraying across my tunic was a less than pleasant way for me to spend an afternoon.

"And THAT is what you get for griping to ME about MY woman, blacksmith." The raven-haired knight sniffed haughtily, pulling his black leathered glove back onto his calloused hand. With his nose turned up in disdain, Gunther strutted away, just like that.

I lay there for a moment in shock, breath wheezing in and out of my bloodied nose, mind all a mess. Gunther's woman...? Since when was Jane GUNTHER'S woman?

I sat up slowly, nearly crying out as the motion sent waves of icy-hot pain to my broken nose.

_'I don't understand how you do it, Gunther.'_

_'Hmm?' the knight asked, removing his right glove to test a sword Smithy had been working on, 'how I do what? Stay so strikingly handsome?' _

_Smithy laughed at that, for Gunther had been completely serious. 'No, I mean about Jane.' Gunther's eyes grew sharp and he cocked his brow. Sliding the blade back into its sheath, he handed it back to Smithy._

_'What about her, blacksmith?' His voice seemed to carry an edge to it, which Smithy had taken as fuel to the flames._

_'She's so bossy, nothing like a woman should be. She expects everyone to go out of their way for her merely because she demands it-' _and just like that, I was sprawling across the training grounds like a ragdoll.

Holding my face in my hands, trying not to tear up, I made my shamed way to the kitchens for Pepper to nurse and mend my nose.

"Smithy? What on earth?" Pepper called as she spotted me nearing the kitchens, "Stay out there! I don't want any of that getting in the food!" I rolled my eyes and sat at the table, trying not to get it messy. How had I not seen Gunther's blow coming? Before, I would have caught the his fist in mid-fly and brought him to the ground. I was just out of practice, right? I mean, I hadn't been trained in... what was it now? Two years?

"Here we are, Smithy," Pepper said, coming up the kitchen stairs with her poultice pots and various herbs from the gardens. She bustled forward and dropped the items on the table. "Now," she said, opening a pot and wiping the medicine onto her fingers, "what happened?" She began lathering mixture in her hands and smothering it on my nose with a little more force than necessary.

"D'I walked indo a post." I answered, wincing. My voice sounded nasally.

"Hmm." She returned to her pile of medicines and picked up a cloth to bandage to my face. I shook my head.

"D'oh, you can'd. D'I'd be a laughing sdock." I lifted myself from the table and grabbed the poultice pot. "D'I'll jus' dake this, okay?"

Pepper nodded and gathered her things in her arms. She paused for a moment in front of me, suspicion crossing her eyes. "Was it Gunther?"

"...Yes."

Pepper sighed and began toward the kitchens to put her medicines away. "Did he have a good reason to hit you? Because I'm sure he would be punished if Sir Ivan heard-"

"He had a reason, sort of. I, apparently, spoke poorly of 'his woman'..." Pepper reemerged from the kitchens, two fresh baked apples in hand. She nearly dropped them.

"You mean Jane?"

I winced. Did everyone know about the couple except me? Pepper placed the apple in front of me, and I bit eagerly into it, ignoring the pain that shot through my nose due to the crunch. I swallowed the sweet mouthful of fruit.

"You know how I feel about her being a Knight. Its simply not a job for a woman, Pepper." Pepper swallowed, too, watching me with an analystic eye.

"That, and you're still mad she took your chance. How long has it been since you stopped taking lessons? A year?"

"Two." I sighed, setting down the apple, "Ever since she met Dragon and they had to make room for a new Knight." It was Kippernia Knight Code that there be a student-teacher ratio of 1/1, so that the Master could relay as much as possible to the squire. In short, I got booted by Sir Theodore, my teacher. Gunther had money, so, even though I had always beaten him when it came to sparring and our studies, he got to stay and I got to return to being a blacksmith. I shook my head. "It's not fair, Pepp. I've got more talent than both Jane and Gunther combined, if they'd just give me the chance."

It was silent except for the occasional crunch of an apple. Pepper sat across from me, thinking. "You need to talk to Sir Theodore about this, if you want it so much, Smithy." I shook my head and sighed.

"There's no way they'd let me. Jane's got the King's favor, Gunther's father has the pull, and I've got no chance." I ruffled my blonde hair, and glanced at her. "I don't think I'll ever get another chance." Pepper stood and straightened her apron. She looked at me with compassionate eyes.

"You said you already have the skill: you just need to prove it to Sir Theodore, Smithy." with that, the little cook headed back into her kitchen, leaving me to my thoughts.

And I thought it was time for a little talk with Sir Theodore.

**_A/N: Love. Which kind do you like? I am drawn to sweet, tender, childhood sweetheart kind of love. The kind of love with many memories grown before it blooms into something more. Thats the kind of love I like to hear about! How about you, the Reader? Share with me, my friend! Click the button here and spill._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Smithy and Jane_**

**By Stor-E-Phool**

_**A/N: Hi! This is a pretty action-packed chapter! I hope you like it, even if it is pretty short!**_

My side stung with the blow of the red-headed squire, beginning to throb with each movement I made. She dove with her padded stave and hit my middle, causing me to fly backward and out of the circle.

"Point for Jane!" a tall, elderly knight called, wrist resting on the hilt of his blade, amused smirk on his mustached face. I growled and brought myself to my feet, heart beating angrily against my chest. Jane's freckled face grinned in triumph at me, holding a pitying hand out for me to shake. My fingers felt like lead as they closed around hers grimly in what was supposed to be a sporting handshake. "If Jane wins this round, Smithy, your claim to knighthood will be nullified." I grimaced. She may have won the first round, but I would not give her a second chance.

"Let's do this..." I growled and readied my practice stave, straining to remember the few lessons I'd learned back then. _Feet apart? _Check. _Elbows up?_ Check. _Brave face on?_ I growled. Double check. I watched as the old knight dropped his hand in a downward slash, signalling go.

I lept into action before Jane could register what was happening. I ran toward her with renewed force and made a sharp jab to her ribs with my stave, grinning as her shocked face registered that she was out of the circle. "Point." I muttered, straightening to my full height. I held my hand toward my vanquished opponent and smirked.

"Point for Smithy!" Sir Theodore called, astonishment apparent in his voice and on his face. I smiled and lifted Jane to her feet. She was light. Sir Theodore looked gravely from me to Jane and back. "You two have tied. The final battle will reveal our winner and the events in the coming weeks." the old man's wisened eyes fell on me with some hidden purpose and a shiver seemed to electrify my spine. I nodded respectfully to him and turned to Jane, whose face was still frozen in shock at my win.

"May the better knight win." I murmured, falling back into my fighting stance and steeling my face.

At Sir Theodore's signal, Jane shook herself to reality and I shot forth to hit her. Our staves met with a harsh _clank!_ and she pushed my stave away, leaving herself open to attack. I turned my stave around and headed for her open stomach, putting as much strength as possible into the attack. Again, I felt the _clank!_ reverberate throughout the weapon and through the air. She was quick.

"Give up, Smithy!" she called, smacking my wooden stick away with force and running toward me. I couldn't block fast enough as she made a jab at my stomach, so I dropped to my knees, letting her swing above me, putting her off balance. Using my stave, I made a final _tap!_ to her back, and she fell out of the circle, making an outraged cry.

"Point! Smithy!" Sir Theodore's voice roared in my ears over my friend's yell of anger, and I sighed in relief. I had proven myself, and now I had the chance that I had been waiting for. Jane's face was red with anger as we stood before Sir Theodore, waiting for the conclusion the sword master had made. Sir Theodore ran his hand through his silver-streaked hair, sighing heavily.

"Sir Theodore. You simply can't allow this!" Jane exclaimed, "Being a knight is my _dream_, and I-" the old knight held up a weary hand to silence her, and I smirked yet again. I was sure I was about to be picked. The meaningful shiver before the battle _had_ to mean _something!_

"Smithy's arguement has merit. You are a woman, despite all, and if there is a man able and willing to take your place, the Knight's Code says that he has the right to take it." I smiled silently. It was true. I had the skill, the strength, the advantageousness of being a man... I was heads and shoulders more suited to being a knight than she was!

...So why did I feel so guilty about taking it from her?

"But he wouldn't." Jane turned her clear, green eyes on me, and I slumped. Her face was that of utmost earnest. "You wouldn't take my dream, right, Smithy?" She asked, voice unsure. My heart seemed to harden. She had taken my dream, hadn't she? What right did she have to ask me not to treat her the same way?

"Yes. I am, Jane."

_**A/N: So. Everyone has had a revelation or idea in their life that has shaped who they are. Me, I realized how short life is at twelve, and have tried to use my time wisely ever since. So, how about you, Reader? What has shaped you into who you are, and how has it affected you? That's my question! Happy reading! **_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Smithy and Jane_**

******By Stor-E-Phool**

_**A/N:Whoo! A longer, more betterer chapter! :)**__** Have fun reading the second chapter in one week! X'D**_

Iron-clad punches hurt. I laid there on the rocky path outside the castle walls, trying to get my senses to work again, wishing I hadn't gone on patrol today. The blows had seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once, first knocking me from my horse and then beating me into the dirt like a bug.

Everywhere hurt as I got to my hands and knees and looked around for any sign of another attack. All was silent except for the soft wind breezing from the east and the squeak from my mildly rusty squire armor. I sighed with relief, ignoring the stabbing pain that echoed through my bruises. It was safe.

Anger and fear gripped my gut and I spat into the underbrush lining the road. Gunther was going to pay for such an ambush. I didn't know how, but I knew that some way I was going to pay him back for it all. Right now, though, I was late for practice on my first day of training.

I shuffled as fast as I could toward the gate into the castle, nodding to the sentries, who let me in with smiles of knowing. I figured that Gunther had probably persuaded them to be in on the beating, too, but I just rolled my eyes and kept going full-steam toward the training grounds, where Gunther and Jane were already waiting to start.

"About time you arrive to practice, Smithy." The raven-haired squire commented with a smirk, and I didn't look him in the eye. I was too ashamed that I couldn't defend myself against him. Only two years ago I would have beat him to the ground before he could land a single jab. What have I become?

"I was on a patrol, Gunther." I replied weakly, then took a glance toward Jane. The squire's eyes were down-cast, despair seeping into her features. She curtained her crimson hair over her face when she noticed me looking.

Sir Theodore entered the training arena with three wooden swords in hand, looking grim as ever. He tossed them toward us, Gunther catching his in mid-flight, and Jane catching hers with leaden arms. My sword landed in the dirt in front of me, and I picked it up feebly. The first thing I noticed was that it was not well-balanced, putting extra strain on my wrist as I held it. I instantly longed for one of my swords from the smithy, perfect length and weight of the blade beaten into an even balance of metal.

None-the-less, I tightened my grip on it and focused on the old knight, who was glaring each of us down.

"In the coming two weeks, we will have our friend, Smithy, in our ranks. He will train along side us, be your brother squire, and learn the ways of knighthood with you. However, at the end of the two weeks..." He looked toward Jane and me, eyes looking very much like his pet hawk's, "...you two will fight for the position of knight-in-training. He or she who loses the battle... will be sent back to the mundain jobs of castle work, never again to be allowed a chance at knighthood. Understood?" We all nodded in understanding, then we got to work.

First we stretched(which was difficult in armor) then ran laps around the court, leaping and weaving through obstacles on the way. Sir Theodore's voice became a comforting drone as he shouted out orders, and I felt myself steeping back into the routine. My body felt lean and strong as I went through the familiar moves, and I steadily felt myself getting as good as, if not better, than my fellow squires.

I was meant to be a knight.

After training, a large, red man waddled toward me, face red as wine and hair matching the glaring intensity of a sunset. I greeted him.

"Good day, Sir Ivan." I nodded my head respectfully, if not a little cockily, his way. I felt good. Better than ever before, despite my sore muscles from the bruises earlier on in the morning.

"Aye, Lad. And its an especially good day for you." He grinned, bushy red mustache seeming to hold up his round, red cheeks. He looked a little cheerier than normal, and I suspected he had had a spot of "medicine" for his "ailment". I looked at him quizically, and he chuckled. "You've got talent, Lad. More than anyone I've ever seen train." I noticed Gunther was nearby, oddly quiet, as if he were listening. "I'll be rootin' for you in the ring in a few weeks, hmm? Maybe then I'll have a decent squire!" He laughed, and tottled away, and I knew right then that Gunther had heard. The young squire immediately stomped away, up to Jane's tower where she waited patiently for him.

Through the window that looked out onto the training ground, I could see her piercing eyes fixing on mine like a pair of angry, shining emeralds, and I shivered.

It occured to me that I might have picked the wrong fight.

_**A/N: Have you ever picked the wrong fight? Who was it with? Why didn't you stay out of it? What was so important to you that you wouldn't avoid getting beaten or embarrassed? Tell me! I'd love to know!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Jane and the Dragon_**

**By: Stor-E-Phool**

I am a blacksmith.

In the smithy I handle molten metal and big, heavy hammers. I beat the liquified steel into the shape I want it in, then I set it out to cool down while I fan the flames for the next batch of weapons. If there was one thing I learned in my line of work, it was the phrase "If you play with fire, you get burned."

I think that my current situation certainly applied.

"Dragon, no!" I yelped, leaping over another burning barrel of tar and stumbling forward into a large pile of hay. The reptile's nostrils continued to smoke and glow with unspat flames.

"You dare threaten Jane? I'll... I'll..." He thought for a moment, brow still cocked with anger, "Well, I'll do something horribly gorey and gruesome to you, that's what I'll do!" He let out another ball of fire towards me, and I realized that on top of a large haystack was a sorry place for me to be. I lunged from my hiding spot and into the middle of the training yard, leaving myself wide open for another attack.

"Dragon, just listen! Please?" I begged, backing up as the giant reptile loomed over me, orange eyes glaring down his snout.

"And _tell me_, Leather legs, why—_exactly_—should I listen to an enemy of _my_ bestfriend?" the irrate dragon inched his face so close to mine that I could feel his scales scratching the tip of my nose, reminding me of it's bruised condition.

"E—enemy? Jane's one of my _bestfriends_, Dragon!" I exclaimed, trying not to sound nervous. He had me cornered, back pressed against the wall, and there was no escape unless I could become invisible.

"_Am_ I?" a familiar voice inquired to my right from the stairs. I turned my head toward it. There stood Jane, arms crossed, with an angry look on her normally cheery face. She began down the stairs slowly, taking her time with each step, glare never breaking from Smithy's face. "Because... _friends_... don't _hurt_ eachother." She made it to the ground floor, arms still crossed and face still that of a fury.

"Jane, I—" I stopped as she held her hand up to silence me. She continued walking toward me until we were nose-to-nose, and she just glared.

"This..." She murmered tensely, "Is war. No one will rob me of my dream. Not even..." she paused for a moment, seeming to examine me with a single swoop of her gaze, and then her green eyes returned to my blue ones. "... Not even you." She smirked superiorly and poked my chest lightly. "You'd better be ready for this contest, because I don't plan to lose!"

And with that, Jane boarded her reptile and they took off together into the sky for a patrol, Dragon complaining profusely that he didn't even get to singe me, and the squire replying that he should save it up until after the competition. I was left alone on the grounds, fuming with yet another defeat.

Hand trembling, I took in a breath and crossed my heart, promising myself that I was going to win. There was nothing that pissed me off more than a woman who didn't know when to quit.

...And apparantly Jane Turnkey didn't even know_ HOW_ to quit.

_**A/N: Not the best chapter: its barely even long enough to be considered a scene! :) It was just supposed to establish Jane and Dragon's attitude's toward the whole thing and enfuriate Smithy! Heh heh heh.**_

**_Oh! I'd like to give a quick shout-out to Shay na na: Thanks for your answers! They were delicious! :D_**

**_Reader, have you ever been the dominate (sp?) personality in a group? Did you enjoy your position? Did you abuse it?_**

**_In seventh grade I was usually the faithful follower of my group of anime-geeks, always wondering what it would be like to be the leader like my-then-bestfriend, Jamie. I had two side-friends in my Orchestra I class who followed me around like dogs, always at my heels, asking what we were going to do next, and one day I realized... I was their leader. I had power and influence over them, and they would do anything I suggested: whether that was what I had intended or not. Instead of being happy, I was distressed and (wrongly)ditched them as soon as I could, trying to find more groups of friends in which I could go on being an invisible follower instead of a leader._**

**_I've felt power over two people. I can't imagine what its like being a celebrity or politician, presiding over millions of people, intentionally or not! How about you?_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Smithy and Jane**_

**by Stor-E-Phool**

**_A/N: Get ready for gut-wrenching action! Whoooo! Actually, I really need you guys' critique on my fighting scenes. I really am experimenting a lot with them in this fic. SO not on purpose, but it seems like every chapter opens with it. :) Hey, this thing is NEARLY FINISHED! :D Yay!  
Disclaimer: I really don't own anything, let alone Smithy and them. :)_**

I tried to ignore the fact that at least four pairs of eyes were trained on me as I walked onto the training grounds. The first was Sir Ivan, smiling at me with high expectations and I got the feeling that he had something impossibly challenging for us today. The second was Dragon's, peering down at me from his perch on Jane's tower, licking his chops purposfully. The third was Gunther, eyes colder than ice with bitterness at Sir Ivan's comment the previous day. Lastly, was Jane's stare, which was by far the most intimidating. Her green eyes were as intense as dragon fire as she glared me down, and I decided I might be better off standing nearer to Gunther today.

"Alright, ya Maggots! Today we will be focusing on the use of anger in combat." The Scott bellowed, pacing to-and-fro in front of our line-up. My fellow squires smirked and looked at me pointedly, a fact which I hastily ignored. Sir Ivan hooked one thumb through his belt of chain, and with his free hand gestured to the pile of weapons, targets and shields behind him. "Ya will be usin' any—and I repeat _any_—instrument of destruction behind me." He smirked and picked up a hammer, hitting it into his hand casually yet threateningly, "Figure out what weapon would utilize yar rage, and choose it. This will be what ya're gonna spar with ta-day. Any questions, lily-livers?" He glared each one of us down, daring us to ask.

"Does anything go, Sir Ivan?" Jane piped up. Sir Ivan grinned at her.

"What do ya think, lass?"

Jane smirked and headed toward the weapon pile. She picked up a rather large, sharp mace and swung it over her head and into the ground in front of her. She smiled at me. "This'll do, Sir Ivan!"

I paled.

Gunther was next. He moved to the pile and looked for about a minute before hefting up a new-looking battle ax with celtic designs running along the handle. He chopped the air a few times and smirked. "This... shall do the job quite nicely, I should think!" He glanced at me with distaste and slipped to Jane's side to practice sparring.

It was my turn, now. I gulped. I really wanted to get my beating hammer from the smithy(that would be the big hammer I usely use on shields, not the tiny one I use on swords), but I was supposed to take a weapon from the pile, right?

I moved toward the weapons, mind racing. Anger. Who was I angry at? A mental picture of Jane last night flashed in my brain, as did the memory of being attacked while on patrol. I glared at my fellow squires as they practiced with their big weapons. They were certainly angry with me, and would surely beat the stuffing out of me if given the chance.

I frowned as I looked over the pile. No hammers. I glanced at Sir Ivan and realized that he had picked up the only one! Surely he wouldn't relinquish it to me. I sighed and looked back down at the pile. Nothing but a bunch of bows, some shields and a short sword.

Growling, I gave the pile another once-over and picked up one of the steel-plated shields. I remembered making it in my shop, and it was strong. Probably strong enough to hold off a few attacks from a mace and an ax... I hoped.

I smirked and also grabbed the short sword, tying the leather straps of its sheath to my belt. That'd surprise 'em.

"A... shield." Jane commented as I joined them, poising my shield over my surprise weapon. Gunther turned and glanced at me.

"Oh, don't worry, Jane. Defense is the only thing he can do, and he's not even good at it." the raven-haired aprentice laughed, poking my ribs with the blunt end of his ax. I pushed it away.

"Ready, Maggots? First match is between Jane and Gunther!" Sir Ivan yelled across the grounds, and I stepped away from the two as sparks immediately began to fly from the blows being dealt. I stood in awe as the couple made savage-looking cuts at eachother. I began to wonder if they were really courting, or if they were having relationship troubles of some kind. Would lovers strike eachother so?

The match continued for what seemed like hours, strike after strike, blow after blow, until Sir Ivan called a draw and matched Gunther up with me so that Jane could grab water for everyone.

"You're going down, Blacksmith." Gunther growled, raising his ax threateningly. I tweaked a weak smile at him, and readied my shield. Sir Ivan's hand made our signal to go, and I was instantly on the ground, axe readied to come down at me. I used my shield to roll just in time, and Gunther's ax was buried into the ground where my head had been.

I gulped, and got myself up from the ground as the raven-haired knight-to-be struggled to get his ax back. I was behind him, so I kicked his back with all of my leg's strength, and as he fell, I easily hefted his weapon from where it was embedded into the ground. I thanked God that the smithery had built my muscles up so well over the years.

I dropped my shield and used both hands to bring the ax down on gunther, and it went into the ground right in front of his "where the sun don't shine". I looked up at Sir Ivan, where he stood with his mouth open, eyes bugging out from his head.

"Was that a point, Sir Ivan?" I called, and then picked up my shield just as Jane was returning with three animal bladders dripping with water. She swept her green eyes over the scene. Gunther was on the ground and I was standing victorious over him. I grinned and looked at Gunther, who was still a little dazed from his defeat. I said nothing. I was the dominant one, and he could no longer wave me off as if I were a child not worth the time of day. I strutted over to Sir Ivan by the wall. The Scottish man looked like he was trying to catch a fly, his mouth was still so wide.

"I've ne'er seen a rookie do somethin' like tha'." He stated simply to Sir Theodore, who was accepting a water bladder from Jane.

"I have." The elderly knight replied, glancing at me for a moment, then turning his grey eyes back to Ivan. "You should have been here when I was training him a couple of years ago. The boy has always had talant." Jane's body stiffened, and she looked up at Sir Theodore.

"What do you mean, Sir Theodore? Smithy's always just been... well, a blacksmith." She turned her green eyes toward me, wide as a castle. My gut hardened with anger once again, and I straightened.

"No. No I haven't, Jane."

Sir Theodore turned his eyes toward Jane, grey eyebrows raised. "Yes. It was before you had gone off to save Prince Cuthbert from your scaly beast."

"Before... No. Gunther was the only knight's apprentice back then. I remember watching him train!" Jane's brow creased in anger. "I don't think I can recall any account of Smithy being a squire!" She said loudly, as if trying to convince herself.

"Well think again, Princess. I was there." I hissed, and raised my shield.

"No. You weren't." She raised her mace. For a moment it was a standoff, my blue eyes glaring into hers. Finally, she attacked. "You were not!" She cried, and her I felt the blow of her mace hit my shield. I used her strength against her and pushed her away with the shield. She compensated and came at my face with ferocity. I blocked again, but then she swept her leg behind my knees somehow and I was on the ground. She was coming at me again, and I realized she was crying, tears leaving dirt streaks on her cheeks. I blocked and got off of my back and onto my knees as she struck at me blindly with her weapon.

"I was Sir Theodore's pupil for three years until you came along!" I yelled, and disarmed her by suddenly grabbing her wrist and twisting it in an unnatural way. Pain swept across her face, and she fell to the ground, trying to get away from my grip. I held on tight, and threw her away from me. Now free from my grasp, she scrambled to get her weapon. I let her. "Three years, Jane! Thats longer than you've been training your whole life!"

Jane picked up her mace. "No!" She growled and hit at me again, which I blocked again. "That's not true!"

"Why's it so hard to believe, huh?" I yelled, and finally drew my sword, throwing my shield off of my arm. Her eyes widened at the sudden emergence of a real weapon. I sliced through the air with it, walking slowly toward her. "Why's it so hard to think that I had a dream too, huh?" I screamed, and she began to back away. Her back hit the wall, and I held my blade close to her neck. "That I had a dream that was taken from me?" I noted that Sirs Theodore and Ivan were yelling for me to stop. That I had won and to let her go. I noted that Dragon was poised to break it up, and that Gunther was already running toward us.

I realized that I didn't care. I wanted her to feel the pain that I had been feeling for two years. To be left to sewing and babysitting, just as I had been left to the stables and the smithy. To be abandoned to castlework. But as I looked at her, I realized she was afraid. Whether she was afraid of losing her life or just her dream, I didn't know.

All I knew in that moment was that I needed to let her go. She looked like a scared, hurting animal with her liquid green eyes staring up at me as if I were death itself. So I lowered my sword and stabbed it into the ground between us, making her jump.

"I will have my dream, Jane. If its the last thing I do, I will have it."

_**A/N: Oh, man. Is Smithy gonna feel guilty in the morning or what! Lol. **__**J**__** I hope that this chapter was satisfyingly intense for you readers! :D You HAVE to review! Its a mandatory thingy, you know? Ha ha. If you don't I'll sik Smithy on you!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Smithy and Jane_**

**_By Stor-E-Phool_**

The dark was cool and humid outside Jane's tower, and the forrest below was filled with the life of the night. I leaned on the stone wall, face contemplative as I waited and listened to the sounds ushering up from the trees.

Where was she? Hadn't I told her to meet me this hour? I growled and slumped to the ground, exasperated. For the past week Jane had ignored and avoided me as if I were a leper, and I had been struggling to talk to her. To apologize for the way I had treated her… to make amends and be friends again. Finally, the previous day, I had left a note on her pillow, asking her to talk to me tonight so that we could get it all straightened out.

I only hoped she would comply…

"So. Here we are." A voice commented to my left, and I scrambled to my feet.

"J—Jane!" I said, unbelieving. Now that we were finally together, ready to talk, I had no idea what to say. What to think. "Jane, I'm so—" She shook her head.

"I'm just…" she muttered, looking away from me and to the horizon, "I'm sorry, Smithy."

Time seemed to slow to me. She was sorry? I was sorry! What did she have to be sorry about? "Y…you're sorry?" I asked, scrunching up my eyebrows in confusion. She glanced at me, green eyes seeming to glow from under her crimson bangs.

"Yes." She confirmed, "I was a fool, thinking that you couldn't possibly have been a knight in training because... because…" her eyes grew more intense and she looked up at the moon and stars, bluish light making her seem to be luminescent herself. "because… that would mean that I was the one taking your dream, not the other way around like I had assumed up to that point." I stared at her, mouth parted in surprise.

"But, Jane, its not your fault… It was…" I stopped and pushed my blonde hair back, sighing. "Jane, I'm the only one who did anything wrong. I was harsh, and… and I'm sorry. You know I'm not like that, and…" She punched my arm. Hard.

"Oh, just shut-up, you weevil!" she laughed, and I smiled. I loved her laugh.

"So I'm a weevil now, huh?" I grinned and punched her back gently. She smiled and giggled, then my whole world paused. Was she always so… pretty? Or was it just me? "Jane…" I said softly, pushing her hair behind her ear, "…I…love you." I heard myself say as I kissed her with the moonlight shining down on us. To my surprise, she seemed to kiss me back for a moment, then my face stung and our lips were no longer touching.

"Smithy…" she muttered, and I realized that my face stung because she had slapped me. I stared at her. "…we can't!" and with that, she ran into her tower and slammed the wooden door. I just kept staring at where she left my sight. My stomach felt as if it were tied in knots, or as if the rolling sea were trapped in my gut. I didn't know if I was sick, or if, just maybe…

…I really was in love.

**_A/N: Hi! this chapter is a piece of crap! :D _**

**_Your first kiss. Do you remember it? How did it feel? Was it with someone you liked... or someone you could hardly stand until your lips actually met? Did you love that person... or just tell yourself you did?_**

**_I, personally, have never kissed anyone romantically, and don't plan to until my wedding day! XD I don't need his lips until I'm his! That is the solemn promise I made to me, and the reason I don't date. I want to save my purity(physically, spiritually and mentally) until I say "I do"!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Smithy and Jane**_

_**By Stor-E-Phool**_

**_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Well, the next Chapter is the last of this story. Yup, that's right! I've already written it! I'm sorry if these last chapters are not as wonderful as the first few: I'm stressing out! Yes. I am almost out on my own now: my family has left me behind in Oklahoma so that I can go to college. o_0;_**

The sun was hot, and the lilacs in my hands smelled like flowers. I was happy, even though today was the day that I would give up my chance at being a knight.

As I floated toward the Royal Gardens, I was almost skipping. I must have looked like a complete idiot, the way I was going. I was going to marry Jane. I was going to marry Jane…!

I was going to marry Jane.

The memory of her skin touching mine rippled through my mind, and I smiled, stomach churning with love. I didn't care, anymore… my pride could go, because I had her! I was so happy.

I had it all planned out: I would forge her ring myself today, and it would be the most beautiful piece of craftsmanship I have ever hammered. The finest ring in Kippernia! I could picture it now: dragon symbols of home and love would rim the ring, inside and out, and my great grandmother's emerald would be mounted in the center of it. It would match the beauty of Jane's green eyes, I promised myself.

As I entered the garden, I imagined how I would propose. Maybe I'd decorate her room in flowers tonight, and hand her a single flower with the ring round the stem? Or! Or maybe I could meet her on the roof of her tower just as the sun is setting, and give her the ring after it goes down? Oh, I hoped it would all go well. Maybe Pepper and Rake would help me?

The gardens smelled like the lilacs in my hands, and I took in the warmness of the scent. Today was a day of beginnings. With tomorrow's contest cancelled, we would have the whole day to ourselves, just me and Jane. I grinned.

"But, Gunther, it was an accident!" I heard Jane's voice echo from the throne room nearby, and I froze. Now that I was hearing her voice again, my stomach got queasy. Would I be able to face her today? What if I croaked?

But then I saw her face through the open door of the throne room, as radiant as she had been the night before. Yes. I would do anything required of me to be with her forever.

"The fact that you kissed him was an accident?" I heard Gunther's deep voice echo, and my feet felt like lead. I stared dumbly at the two as they argued. Gunther's face was contorted into an expression of uttermost despair and a little rage. He paced back and forth in front of the room like an angry bee on a warpath. I glanced at the female squire, whose face was that of earnest.

"Gunther, you have to understand!" she tried to get him to look at her. He avoided her eyes. "It's YOU I love, and you know it!"

"Then why kiss the blacksmith, Jane?" He asked, and her face hardened.

"He took me by surprise," she said, then scrunched her eyebrows in frustration. "Besides… it's not like YOU ever kiss m-" and like that, Gunther had his arms around the one I loved, lips pressed against hers roughly, like some beast that had gone without food for a fortnight.

I stood there, feet wide, with rage churning my stomach. He was touching her. He was touching Jane.

And she was letting him.

I didn't stay around for them to realize I had been watching, and headed for the training grounds.

If I was going to be a knight, I needed a lot of practice.

**_A/N: OH NOES! Poor Smithy. His newly-discovered love for Jane was suddenly stomped out. _****Cry for him.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Smithy and Jane**_

**By Stor-E-Phool**

**_A/N:Hi! Well, this is the end. No tears, now! I'll be back soon with two Avatar stories: One for Avatar as in Pandora, and the other is Avatar as in Airbender. :D Keep watching!_**

Her face was so sad and scared and confused. Her red hair was draped across her face, covered in battle sweat and tears. I swung my sword at her yet again, letting out a battle cry, and she fell away from me.

"This is what you get, Jane!" I called as I let another volley of strikes fly. She feebly blocked most of them. I laughed.

"What do you mean, Smithy?" she asked between heaves of breath. "I thought we settled our score the other day!" she threw an attack to my side, and I blocked it, easily knocking her sword away from her.

"Why would I ever make amends with a sorry good-for-nothing maggot like you?" I yelled with a crazy grin. I knew I looked foolish, calling her petty names, but in the heat of the battle I could think of nothing more biting. I made a blow to her stomach as she scrambled for her weapon, and she flinched.

"The only reason I can possibly think of…" she muttered, face scrunched up in pain, and she reached for the hilt of her stave, "…is that you're not really my friend!" with that, she made an attempt to disarm me, and I knocked it away.

"That's right," I said, throwing her out of our circle and looming above her where she lay on the ground, "I'm not your friend, Jane Turnkey. And I never will be."

..0Oo...

Suddenly, the arms of the one I loved were around me, and all the pain and hurt and sadness that I had been feeling up to this moment faded to the back of my mind. All I could think of was his smell and how warm his hands were around me.

"Don't listen to a thing he says to you, Jane." Gunther whispered in my ear, and I remembered that Smithy was with us; that he had been cursing and swearing at me. He was telling me to give up trying to be a knight. Telling me to give up my dream. "Don't give up." Gunther whispered, and I gazed up at my raven-haired knight, grinning.

"Not on his life!" I said, and Gunther smiled his straight-toothed, white smile at me. My heart seemed to soar as I stood to my feet and grabbed my sword. Today I would wrench my knighthood from Smithy's unworthy grasp, and I would finally rid myself from his threatening presence, once and for all.

"Ready yourself to be beaten, Jane." The blonde blacksmith told me, getting into his fighting position. I stood with my feet wide apart, and faced him, teeth gritted with my weapon ready to defend.

His eyes were an angry, rolling storm at sea, and ready to drown anyone fool enough to swim in their waters. I had been lost at sea there only the night before last, ready to be swallowed up by them forever. But looking at him now, I couldn't see what I had been drawn to these last few years. I couldn't fathom where his charm had seeped from.

How had I been held captive for so long in his gaze?

"3…" began Sir Theodore's countdown, and I shook myself from my thoughts. No sense in letting my mind steep into brooding during a battle.

"…2…" I mouthed along with the count and tightened my grip on my weapon.

"…1…" said Sir Theodore, and then the world around me slowed as Sir Ivan called "GO!"

Suddenly Smithy's charge looked as if he were wading through Pepper's gravy, and Sir Ivan's mouth was still in the shape of "O!" from his shout. I was slow, too, as I dodged Smithy's attack, and I countered with a jab to his back, all the while remembering my knight's encouragement: "don't give up". Then, time began again, and the blonde blacksmith was out of the circle, me hovering over him like a cat who'd just won herself a mouse.

I looked down at his pathetic figure, laying there in the dirt like a girl. He was weak, and I was finally powerful, like I had wanted to be this whole time. I could defeat him like this again and again, I realized, and then something… clicked.

I didn't need to prove myself.

Did I need to show other people what I was capable of? I knew it myself: who else needed to know!

I glanced at Smithy, then up at my tower at Dragon, who was watching the battle with thin interest, then at my mother, up on the wall, to Sir Theodore near us, and to every face in sight, then finally back to Smithy. I threw my weapon at his feet.

"I'm done." I said, and walked away from the new knight-in-training to my quarters, leaving the training grounds in a stunned silence.

…

"So… she forfeited?" Sir Ivan asked Gunther as we sat at the tavern's bar, each with a pint of drink in hand. The black-haired man nodded and took a sip of his beer, a little foam clinging to his cheek, which he wiped off.

"At least that's what that reptile told me. She won't come out for anyone. Not even me."

I was quiet as I listened to them talk, simmering in my frustration quietly. I felt ashamed of myself, making such a donkey of myself in front of the entire castle. My stomach felt empty, no matter how much I filled it with alcohol, and my heart was as cold as ice with sorrow.

I finally understood what people meant about a victory being hollow.

When Jane had completely defeated me, so quickly and skillfully, I knew that I would never have beaten her if she hadn't allowed me to. I knew that I couldn't have won in a million years, because the thing that had really tripped me up… was her inner fire. I had no idea what had lit it up, but I was reminded of the first time I had ever taken notice of Jane: the time when she had knocked me over to grab my horse so she could chase some dragon up the mountain… the day she had first reached out for her dream.

I smirked and swirled my drink around in the bottom of my grimy cup. Her fire was lit when she was pursuing her dream… and this time I had the feeling it wasn't the same dream as last time, when her greatest desire was to become a knight.

This time her dream… was the man she loved.

I glared in Gunther's direction and sighed. I was defeated. Again and again, over and over, I've been beaten one way or another. So what was the point… if I could never win…?

I shoved the rest of my drink toward a large fellow to my right, who clapped my back with drunken cheer, and I left the tavern to take a walk in the woods. 'Just to clear my head,' I told myself, but knew I was looking for a way out of my misery.

If I couldn't get the girl, couldn't get revenge, couldn't truly be the best at being a knight, then what was I around for? I might as well go back to the pig farm and marry a country girl who wouldn't go run off with the first Gunther she sees!

Might as well go back to breeding pigs and shoveling swines' waste! Might as well die already and be done with it all!

I pushed through the tree limbs and blackberry bushes, trying to avoid poison ivy and oak as I went. I heard water and headed for it, thinking I needed a splash of cold river to wash away some of the affects of the beer. But that's when I saw red hair.

There she was, sitting on a log, soaking her feet in the stream. Jane.

My heart began beating again, whether with anger or renewed feelings, I had no idea. Suddenly my daydreams of life together began to cross my heart and mind again, and I sighed. There was no way she'd even consider me after the disgusting way I'd treated her on the battle field.

"Jane." I said, and she seemed to jump at least a foot in the air in surprise. When she saw who was speaking, she frowned and looked away from me.

"Smithy." She acknowledged, and kicked at the water rushing past her legs. I moved next to her and studied her profile. When she didn't look back at me, I looked away and at the water.

"You never really loved me, Smithy."

I scrunched my eyebrows and continued staring at the water. "Yes. I do."

"Gunther proposed to me last night, you know." She said, and I winced.

"That's… great." I replied weakly, scratching the back of my head, frustration and anger quickly rising in my heart.

"It was wonderful: he came up after the battle, poured his heart out to me, and then pulled out the ring—" before she could go on, I stood up. Jane looked up at me with her clear eyes, some emotion I could not place plastered on her face. I kicked at the dirt in front of me a little, trying to find something to say to her.

"Jane… I could still make you happy. Just tell Gunther 'no'." I muttered, and I knew my face was burning. Why did I feel like Jane was the only one? Why couldn't I just let her go and marry a girl like Pepper or something?

I knelt down, there on the bank, and looked in her eyes. "I can make you happier than Gunther, Jane. Please consider me instead." I hastily pulled my blacksmith's glove from my hand and slipped it onto her hand. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but it was all I had to give.

For a moment she just stared down at it, then she looked up at me. She slipped it from her hand and handed the grimy thing back to me. I felt my nose tickle with unshed tears.

"Gunther is the one I love." She said, and with that, she left me at the little stream.

And that was when I lost the chance at my dream.

The End

_**A/N: So. My question this time is: What was your favorite scene/part/chapter in this story? I need to know what works for you so that I can bring you better and better stories! And: what was your LEAST favorite? Okay, so lets review: favorite and least favorite scenes. Ready? Set...?**_

**_GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!(CLICK THAT BUTTON!)_**


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